


Tiny, Insignificant Life

by AoNo



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Blood, F/M, Henry's perspective, Nothing major but typical warning for a Henry fic, Support
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 20:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12373014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoNo/pseuds/AoNo
Summary: He didn't have any heroic reasons for betraying Plegia. He didn't do so to save Emmeryn, nor to help the Shepards. Henry went against his home country for no more reason than to prolong the war. After all, if the war ended too soon, what fun would that be? He knew it was a great decision from the start, but after getting to know a certain rose-haired dancer, perhaps his choice was even better than he anticipated.Basically a rewriting of Henry and Olivia's support from Henry's perspective. Not gonna be super long, I just wanted an excuse to write Henry. He's an interesting character! This is also mostly from their Japanese support with hints of their English.





	1. C Support

It hadn’t been very long since Henry had joined the Shepherds. 

In the time he had chosen to join their ranks, things had been chaotic to say the least. Not that the dark mage minded. The whole reason he had decided to fight with them was so he could fight more. So far he felt he made the right choice. They were more skilled than he expected, making the battles very interesting. After all, how many people would plan to light a ship on fire and crash it into the enemy fleet? Now that had been fun.

There was no battle today, however. The group had decided to camp near a town for a few days to recover before meeting with some voice. Henry wasn’t sure the details, nor did he care. So long as there were battles ahead, he’d be more than satisfied.

Until then, he and the others roamed the cobblestone streets, enjoying a day of rest. Of course, he did so alone.

No one had attempted to interact with him more than a curt ‘hello’ since he joined. He didn’t blame them, nor did he mind. He never really made actual friends whilst in the Plegian army, so why should this be any different? The animals of Ylisse were friendly and to him, that was more than enough.

A tiny yelp caught Henry’s attention. The boy glanced around the empty backstreet, searching curiously for the source. Eventually he found it; a small dog lay near the mouth of an alleyway. Upon closer inspection Henry found it’s hind leg to be badly injured. The joint was swollen and the surrounding brown fur was matted with blood.

Henry knelt down and spoke with a chipper tone, “Well hello there! What happened to you?”

The dog looked up to the newcomer, it’s head tilted quizzically. It then looked back to its leg with a whimper before setting its head on its paws in defeat.

The mage simply chuckled, “Awe, you can’t move at all anymore, can you.” He reached a hand forward and stroked the dog’s soft head, “Well, I certainly can’t leave you like this. Here, let me help.”

He lifted his hand, hovering it in front of the animal’s face. A muttered incantation fell from his lips, the words a jumble of gibberish to anyone not familiar with hexes. 

“...Henry?...”

The mention of his name interrupted the chant. The faint purple glow faded from his hand as he broke his gaze from the dog and looked up to the speaker. It was the dancer girl...What was her name? It didn’t really matter. She looked down to him, pink bangs falling into her eyes as she did so. She sheepishly tucked them aside and continued to speak somewhat nervously, “Umm, what are you doing?...”

Henry giggled at her question, as if it was the most obvious inquiry she could have asked, “What am I doing? I’m trying to help this dog!”

The girl’s eyes shifted to the injured pup, then to his hand, then back to him. She looked unconvinced as her hands fidgeted in front of her chest, “B-but...it looked like you were trying to…trying to kill it.”

He nodded and continued with his happy demeanor, “Yup, I’m going to finish it off.” His head turned back to the dog as he gestured to its injury, “‘Cause with its leg like this, it can’t run anymore. Since it can’t hunt it’ll just starve to death or something. So, I figured it should get a quick death, don’t you?” He nodded again, as if there was no way his statement could be false. After all, that was how it worked in the wild. How was this any different?

But to his surprised, her face shifted from anxious to panic. She dropped to the dog’s side and used her body to shield its form from his view, “P-please stop! I’ll treat its wounds instead!”

Henry tilted his head. He still held a smile, though his voice gave away his confusion, “Eh? But aren’t medicine supplies precious? Is it really alright to use them on a dog?”

The dancer flinched slightly, having realized he had a point. Instead of agreeing, however, she gently picked the dog up and held it’s small form to her chest, “But, you can’t kill it! I’ll take care of it myself…”

Her stubbornness piqued his interest. He found it strange, yet oddly intriguing, how desperate she was to help some insignificant dog. It was just one tiny life, yet she was pleading for him to spare it from a merciful death. Was this just how things worked in Ylisse? That death was not an option no matter the injury? How strange.

Curiosity won in the end and his grin widened, “Great! Then I’ll help care for it too!”

She had not expected such a response, her eyebrows raising in surprise before furrowing in confusion. She didn’t speak for a moment, as if trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. Her shoulders began to relax and she slowly sat upright, “Um...Henry, you’re always smiling but...I mean, you were just talking about finishing it off, but now…”

Man, this girl was strange. Henry simply shrugged with a smile, “I thought it was its natural fate. But if it can get help, then I guess it’s not it’s time yet. If it can come back from the brink of death, nothing could be better! Isn’t that right? It’s good to be saved.” At his last statement he leaned forward and scratched behind the dog’s ears. 

“Henry...you’re…”

“Hm?” He looked up to see her looking at him with sympathy. Just how many emotions could this girl feel at once? He simply laughed again, “What? Did I do something?”

As if snapping out of a trance, she jumped slightly before shaking her head, “No, nothing...We should get started. Can you fetch me some bandages?”

Henry bounced back and up to his feet in one fluid motion, “Sure!”

He still found it strange that she wanted to put so much effort into helping one little dog. What was one tiny life to anyone? Nothing would change if it died after all. Still, she seemed to care a lot for the dog, and that in itself made him want to help. If anything, he found her amusing and took it as an excuse to learn more about her. Who knows, maybe for once he could save a life without ending it. 

Henry chuckled, suddenly finding it ironic that he would be helping to save a canine’s life when one had saved his so long ago.


	2. B Support

It had been a few weeks since Henry and Olivia became caretakers for their new friend. They had used their down time to treat the puppy they had found, using their own money and supplies to do so. No one seemed to have been looking for a lost pet, so when the Shepherds made to move on Henry had stowed the puppy with his things. After all, no one would dare inspect Henry’s belongings. Not since the few times before when parts of Risen among...other things had been found. Despite the mage agreeing to cease hoarding such disgusting scraps at their tacticians demand, no one dared risk it. And so, the puppy had been safe and happy in secret.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that the Shepherds had come across another town in need of assistance. Bandits had been overrunning the area and the people begged for help. The do-gooder prince Chrom couldn't resist helping, of course. Henry always found it amusing how he jumped to help any situation. The very thought of Plegian royalty lifting but a finger to help the innocent made him chuckle. No wonder Ylisse was on a path of loss not long before. Regardless, the town would make a good new home for the energetic pup, so Henry was more than happy to help.

And so the bandits had been defeated, and the Shepherds returned to camp for healing and rest. Henry had no need of such treatment, however. He had nearly been taken out by a few swords, but he had nimbly dodged each one and blasted the bandits to little bits. Boy it had been a sight! 

“W-wait a moment, Henry!” 

His thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable voice of Olivia. He grinned as she ran towards him, “Oh, hello Olivia! What's up?” As she got closer he noticed her face was plastered with worry. He chuckled, “And what's with the face? Did someone die?”

She arrived by his side slightly out of breath, her worried expression even more evident, “Wha? N-no! Henry, why aren't you going to the medical area to be treated?”

Again Henry laughed, “Huh? Olivia I'm totally fine, I think you need your eyes checked.”

She shook her head desperately, “No no, I saw you get struck in battle!”

“No way you silly, it didn't touch me!” He opened his arms to push his cape aside, revealing his torso, “See? Completely-oh, well would you look at that.”

Upon actual inspection, Henry noticed his left side was soaked crimson. A nasty tear in his sweater was proof enough the blood was his. The dastard actually nicked him! They were in pieces now, luckily for them, otherwise he’d cast one heck of a-

“You see? Now please, let me treat your injuries!”

Henry looked to her wide-eyed with a surprised smile. This was far from the first time he had been injured, he wasn't exactly careful on the battlefield, but this was certainly the first time anyone had reacted in such a way. He was used to annoyance at him being injured yet again, or scolding because of his recklessness. He’d even been completely ignored before. But for someone to so passionately want to heal him...how curious. 

“Uh, sure, if you want I guess I won't complain. Thanks!” 

Without a word she hurriedly slung his arm over her shoulders and guided him to a nearby seat. He couldn't help but laugh at how much effort she was putting in for just a small wound. He couldn't even feel the darn thing.

Regardless, he took a seat and looked up to her expectantly. She was rummaging through a sack that had been slung over her shoulder. When she realised he was looking up at her, her eyes darted to his, then back to the bag, “U-um, can you...lift your shirt, please?” She stammered with a slight blush.

Henry laughed at her obvious discomfort. This was war, surely she should be more comfortable treating a wound. 

He reached down and untucked his sweater from his sash. His fingers curled around the hem and it was only then that he realised how much blood there was. His hand quickly grew wet and sticky with crimson, and as he brought up the material it was revealed to be quite a nasty gash.

Olivia saw it and quickly grew pale, “O-oh my gosh! Henry that looks awful!”

Henry couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, “Well, that certainly explains why I was feeling dizzy.”

The girl’s face changed from concern to horror, “Henry this is no laughing matter! A wound like that...how could you not notice?”

The mage shrugged casually, “Stuff like this doesn't bother me at all. I've had way worse than a little thing like this; it's no biggie.”

Olivia stopped fumbling with the medical supplies and looked to him once again with concern. She continued to amaze Henry with how expressive she could be.

“Worse?...Henry, what happened?...” Her voice became quiet as her panic ebbed into worry and...sympathy? Henry was never very good at reading people.

“See, there was this institution my parents put me in. They were really into discipline and stuff. If you did anything bad or didn't listen they’d punish you; now that was painful.”

He locked eyes with Olivia, still speaking with a smile. She most definitely was not smiling. Her eyes were glossy as if she were about to cry. What was that expression she was making? Concern? No no, it was something different...

She broke his train of thought as she spoke softly, “If it was so bad, why didn't your parents take you away from that place?” She seemed to recall what it was she was meant to do and began carefully cleaning his wound while waiting for his answer.

Henry shrugged again in response, “Nah, they left me there to get rid of me. Ever since I was born they seemed to hate and ignore me. I could never figure out why.” Again the boy grinned, “But hey, I became all calm and cheerful because of it, so it wasn't so bad!”

“You are not cheerful!” Her outburst startled him and he couldn't help but jump. She looked up into his face, her eyes burning passionately as she spoke, “I can see through your smile, it can't fool me. You always force it…” Her shyness seemed to return as quickly as it left. She backed away, her cheeks bright pink. She continued treating his wound delicately.

Her statement puzzled him. Forced? He never felt like his smile was forced. It felt natural to smile all the time. To smile through the loneliness and pain; it made him feel like he was happy. After all, you smile if you're happy. So if he was always smiling, then he was always happy. That is what happiness means...right?

Henry shook away the strange thoughts, “No no, this is definitely my real smile.”

“You're wrong,” she started without making eye contact, focusing too much on wrapping the bandages, “You’ve never shown your real smile, not once. Not when the puppy got better, not when that child thanked you for helping him...never.” Her hands stopped as she paused mid thought, “I know because I dance...Those fleeting moments of expression, those are a person's true feelings.” Her hand rested on the bandage covering his wound. She sighed, “The punishments at the institution...have they stopped you from feeling true emotion?”

She looked back up to meet his gaze with bright eyes, “Henry I...I want to see your real smile! Hear your real laugh! I want to help you feel something real.”

Henry had remained silent the whole time. What was he to say after all? She was obviously crazy. He laughed and smiled all the time. You can’t fake an expression or sound, that's silly. If Henry wasn't happy he would frown, and Henry would never frown because he was always happy; it was that simple. 

And so he shook his head, “Nope, I don't get it. This is the real me, and I really am always happy.”

Olivia's shoulders slumped, but she was not defeated yet, “If you don't understand then...can I help show you?”

He didn't feel like he needed help, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed her company. At first he had been reluctant on the idea of making friends, but Olivia was just so entertaining. All the Shepherds were proving to be very interesting, and the longer he was with them the more he liked being around them. Olivia was different though. She had so many emotions and expressions, he had never seen one person feel so much at once. Perhaps, maybe she knew something he didn't? Either way, it would certainly be fun.

He grinned and nodded, “Yeah, sure!”


	3. A Support

Olivia sighed in frustration, “Okay, Henry. When you feel upset, make a face like this,” she dropped the corners of her lips into an exaggerated frown. 

“Like...this?” Henry smiled back at her. He was desperately trying not to giggle at her reactions.

The dancer groaned, “No no, the corners of your mouth go down when you feel sad! Just showing you what expressions to make, it’s just not going to help…”

“Nope! See, Olivia? Someone happy like me just isn’t meant to frown.” His smile broadened as the girl shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. It’s...it’s like dancing. Showing you what to do isn’t enough. You have to feel what you’re doing too! If you’re going to cry or laugh, you have to do it from the heart.” Her brows furrowed as she became deep in thought.

Henry giggled at this, “You sure are stumped, aren’t you?”

Olivia pouted, “Ooh, Henry I’m trying to help you!”

He simply shrugged, “Like I said, I just don’t understand what you mean by these ‘real feelings’. Is it really that wrong to smile all the time?” While he was certainly playing around with her, he really was trying. She was just so desperate to teach him, he figured she must be onto something. But alas, as hard as he tried, he just couldn’t understand. Why was it so wrong to smile so much?

She shook her head, “No, it’s not. Not when...when you…ngh-” Olivia broke off from her sentence, pain suddenly etched in her features. 

Henry tilted his head curiously, “Hey, Olivia, are you okay?”

Her voice became strained as she clutched at her chest, “N-no, I...it’s...hard to...ugh-” She couldn’t hold herself upright and tumbled from her seat.

“Ah, whoops!” Henry jumped from his chair and caught her as she fell, slowly lowering her to the ground. Being so close to her, he could recognize the malicious magic radiating from her chest, “Oh, hey I recognize this magic. Someone placed a nasty death curse on you!” He grinned having figured out the problem, “Don’t you worry, I’ll fix you right up!”

Henry raised his hands just above her chest as he murmured under his breath. As he spoke, a purple circle of light formed under his palms. It glowed intensely before a strange miasma emerged from her skin. It formed into a sphere of magic before firing upright and disappearing through the covering and away from sight.

The dark mage sighed and smiled at his handy work, “There, all better! I even countered it back to the mage that cast it; they’ll be in for one nasty shock.”

He laughed at the very thought, but stopped when he realised Olivia had not responded. She always said something when he joked about death or curses, but this time she made no sound. He looked at her curiously, “Olivia?”

Upon closer inspection, he realised she didn’t appear to be breathing. Didn’t only dead people not breathe? He reversed the curse, he knew he did. There’s no way he could have been too late...

“O-Olivia?” His voice became strained. Why was it difficult to talk? A tightness began to form in his chest. Was he cursed too? No, no that was impossible. Surely he would be able to tell. But why else would he have difficulty breathing? Why else would his eyes be stinging the way they were?

No, he recognized this feeling. He felt it so long ago, he knew he did. It was when...when he had found Wolf; her corpse bloody and filled with arrows…

Realisation finally hit him and he grew into a panic.

“No, you can’t die!”

_Not again._

“Please, don’t die!”

_I don’t want to be alone again._

“Ngh, Henry...Please, don’t cry. I’m...I’m okay now.” Her voice was hushed and raspy as her eyes opened slowly.

Henry sniffled, his eyes meeting hers. He remained silent for a moment, the tension in his body ebbing away now that she was awake. He laughed breathlessly and smiled, “Ah, thank goodness. I guess it worked after all.”

Olivia returned his smile with her own. She raised a delicate hand and brushed away a tear on his cheek as she spoke softly, “You were finally able to show your true feelings.”

Henry went silent again, his eyes wide in revelation. His true feelings...He realised then how different he had felt. His expression was beyond just him giving a smile or a hearty laugh. The feeling had coursed through his body to the point his muscles ached slightly from the passed tension. Henry had thought she was just being weird before; after all, how could one actually feel an emotion? That was silly, he had thought. But, for that brief moment, he had felt what she meant. Countless times had he thrown himself into the heart of battle and never felt fear like that. No, he had not felt such panic since...since back then with his only friend. Had it really been so long since he felt true emotion? So long that he had forgotten what it felt like? It was...a strange thought...an odd feeling, to have felt such a thing after so long.

“Oh, I...I hadn’t noticed.” His voice came out quiet. Far more quiet than usual. 

“Henry,” Olivia started with a thoughtful smile, her raised hand cupping his cheek, “Thank you, for bringing me back from the brink of death.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote two chapters today. These are short so I should be able to finish the last one soon. Maybe in a day or two...


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